1. Field of Invention
The present invention relates to a media processing device, to a media processing system, and to a control method for a media processing system.
2. Description of Related Art
Technologies for electromagnetically reading checks have been developed in order to improve the efficiency of check processing. Devices enabling electromagnetically reading checks at the teller window in banks, for example, have also been introduced, and check processing devices (hybrid processing devices) that are compact enough to enable installation at the teller window are known from the literature.
Processing devices of this type generally have a magnetic ink character reader and an image scanner disposed along the check transportation path. When a bank teller receives a check from a customer and passes the check through the processing device, the processing device typically reads the magnetic ink characters that are printed on the check, captures an image of the check, and may even print an endorsement on the check. The captured MICR data and image data is then sent to a host computer. The host computer determines if the received magnetic ink character recognition (MICR) data and image data was read correctly, and based on the result of this decision sends a command controlling the next process to the check processing device. See, for example, Japanese Unexamined Patent Appl. Pub. JP-A-2005-149013. The decision includes the result of the MICR process, the result of an optical character recognition (OCR) process, and whether the captured image data is acceptable.
For example, based on the result of this decision, the checks can be directed to a particular exit if the check processing device has a plurality of media discharge bins (exits). If the check was read correctly, VOID, PROCESSED, or similar content is printed or stamped on the face of the check to indicate that the check has been read and processed electronically.
The check processing device thus simply executes a data reading process and sends the read information to the host computer in response to a read command sent from the host computer. More basically, the check processing device only executes processes in response to commands from the host computer, and leaves verification processes and other operations that require more processor power to the host computer.
It is also possible, however, for the check processing device to run only verification processes that do not require significant processor power and execute processes determined by the reading result. For example, the check processing device could detect multifeed situations in which two or more checks are conveyed together in the read process, detect insertion errors if a check is loaded the wrong way, or detect errors caused by ambient noise around the check processing device, and execute a corresponding process.
There are thus numerous factors that are evaluated and determined based on the read results when the items evaluated by the host computer and the items evaluated by the check processing device are combined. The reliability and accuracy of the reading process thus improves as the number of evaluation items increases. The throughput of the check processing device drops as the number of evaluation items increases, however, because more processing time is required. There is thus a trade-off between reading speed and accuracy.
Check processing devices enabling continuously reading a plurality of checks in response to a continuous read command sent from the host computer are also known from the literature. The ability to change the processing operation according to the result of reading individual checks is also desirable even when continuously processing a batch of checks.
When the operator tells the check processing device to execute a continuous reading process, there is generally a greater need for processing speed than reading accuracy. In practice, however, it is generally desirable to ensure reading with high accuracy even if this means a slight drop in speed. A check processing device that can execute a continuous check reading process appropriate to the situation is therefore needed.